The Berkeley Hall. A.k.a. The Freshmen Apocalypse Arena. One of the largest, most convoluted buildings in Caldwell, built specifically so that hordes of freshmen can funnel in at the same time and collectively scream at the top of their lungs.
In short, if someone calls this a "welcome party," punch them in the face—politely, of course. The chaos here could easily double as a market, a battlefield, and a haunted house, all at once. Faculty members sprint around like caffeinated hamsters, shouting instructions that no one will ever follow. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. My chances of being noticed? Practically zero.
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◎ Clone Walker
[ Item: Special ]
[ Price: 1,000pts ]
[ Creates an alter ego that mimics the main body's personality and behavior. Buffs applicable! ]
[ Remaining Points: 1,000pts ]
Ah yes, the ultimate "I'm too lazy to deal with humans" tool. Summon a second Adrian Merrick—identical in every obnoxious way. It copies my gestures, my tone, my casual air of superiority… and it can even wander off and make me look heroic while I sit back and judge everyone silently.
Flaws? Sure, it's not perfect. But it's perfect enough to ruin someone's day, and that's what matters.
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◎ Buff: Enhanced Charisma
[ Item: Special ]
[ Two available flavors of chaos. Price: 500pts each. Remaining Points: 1,000pts ]
Option 1: Cool Gentleman
Basically: "You trip over a chair, spill the punch, and somehow people think you're suave."
Price: 500pts
Perfect for anyone who wants to seem impressive while being a walking disaster.
Option 2: Pheromone
Basically: "Every move makes someone swoon. Potential to start cults. Side effect: chaos, lawsuits, fainting freshmen."
Price: 500pts
Too dangerous. I don't need this level of disaster right now.
Honestly, the best part? Watching my own clone confidently strut around, while I sip tea in the corner, narrating the chaos like a sarcastic Greek chorus.
I could call it "Project: Let Everyone Assume I'm Awesome While Doing Absolutely Nothing". Status: Impeccable.
"…"
I'm not buying it.
I absolutely refuse.
Not for Elize, and certainly not for Lirielle. Her favorability is skyrocketing faster than an overexcited rabbit on mating season.
No matter how deadly my charm skill is, it's still climbing at an alarming rate.
I even began to wonder if she was genuinely that easy to sway.
'…I'll have to deal with this eventually,' I mused bitterly.
Running away wasn't an option.
After all, she was central to the scenario tied to the Malivara. Loose ends were scattered everywhere, and someone had to tie them together to reach the ending.
With my gift, I was inevitably entangled.
'…Still.'
There had to be a limit.
I hadn't even attended a single class at the academy yet. Was it really wise to dive straight into something like this?
'Step one: handle the essentials first.'
Suppressing a sigh, I summoned another status window.
[Event: Double Date]
Excellent! Seduce Two major targets at once!
Don't get caught before the event concludes!
Failure brings penalties to scenario progression!
[ Remaining time: 20 minutes ]
"…"
'Seducing'? That wasn't even the right word.
The plan was a mess from the start. If anyone saw me appearing in multiple places at once, it was over.
Still… I could probably hold things together until the time ran out.
Fine, I'd worry about penalties later. If I got caught, I'd deal with it then.
"Ah, you there! This way!"
I spotted Lirielle waving frantically from a distance, her arm raised high above her head.
With all this chaos around, if she hadn't done that, there was no way I'd have seen her.
Alright, I'd activate the clone option and head toward her…
-!
-!!!
Just as I was about to tap the option, a sudden scream nearby made me flinch.
I jumped and accidentally touched the shop window in front of me.
"Step back!"
"Danger! All students, stay away!"
Looking outside the hall, I saw a massive bear-like creature restrained behind heavy chains, escorted by several knights.
Occasionally, captured monsters are brought inside the academy for research or experimentation.
It was undoubtedly dangerous, yet some professors insisted that nothing made a better subject than a living one.
"…"
Of course. Naturally. Because why wouldn't an accident happen at the freshman welcome party?
There's a reason I grabbed Holy Expanse first instead of any of the other shiny toys. Strategic genius, that's me.
'Well, anyway…'
Main character and final boss in the same room? Should be simple enough. Just get them in the right place at the right time. No pressure. Totally fine.
I turned back to the screen.
[Option: Enhanced Charisma purchased!]
[Option: Pheromone purchased!]
[Option Allocation Completed.]
[Body – Option: Applied Pheromone!]
[Clone – Option: Applied Charisma!]
"…Excuse me?!"
Why the hell is pheromone applied to me? Can someone explain how I became a walking attraction billboard?
'…Oh, right.'
Earlier, I freaked out and tapped the shop window. And somehow, in a masterstroke of accidental chaos, I just became lethal to humans with pheromones. Great.
"Why are you just standing there…"
Lirielle had approached, stopping mid-sentence as soon as our eyes met. Fantastic timing.
[Pheromone effect applied to target: Lirielle!]
Nope. No. Stop. Abort. Someone—anyone!
Her eyes widened slightly, and her breathing… became suspiciously uneven. Alarm bells went off in my brain.
Oh, I've seen this before.
[Skill: Irresistible Allure activated…]
[…Skill ineffective!]
[Target forcefully resisted the feeling of affection!]
"…Wonderful. Just what I needed today."
Yes, yes, I've seen this exact disaster play out before. Lirielle, as usual, is completely unflappable, suppressing anything resembling attraction like it's nothing. Somehow, that's good for me. Probably. Maybe.
She let her expressionless face return, patting her chest like she was calming a kitten.
"Calm down. It's noisy."
"…Right. Totally calm. No pheromone-induced chaos here. Got it."
"I didn't mean it for you," she added.
Oh. Okay. Good to know. Very clarifying.
"Then… who?" I asked, because obviously my social skills are in free fall.
"I was talking to my heart," she said without missing a beat.
"…Sure. Makes perfect sense."
"It was noisy," she repeated, because apparently my brain is not allowed to process actual words.
I didn't even bother responding. At this point, my internal commentary is just screaming: How is she real?
"…Let's go."
She started walking, perfectly composed. My clone should have already found Elize, so we need to move anyway.
But, seriously… the pheromone effect. It'll be fine, right? Right?